Cutler unremarkable in Bears debut

Bears fans could snicker a little Friday night when their former quarterback with the unfortunate haircut [editor’s note: and forgettable neck beard] threw three picks in his Broncos debut.

Tonight, Chicago’s new quarterback with the unfortunate haircut [editor’s note: and, as my kid pointed out in March, no chin] might have silenced a few snickerers.

Following along right here on NFL.com, you’ll see that, in four drives, Cutler completed five of ten passes and threw an interception against a Bills unit that will remind no one of the 1985 version of the defense that Cutler’s current team fielded.

Chicago went three-and-out on its first drive, with Cutler throwing incomplete on third down and two. On the Bears’ second possession, Buffalo corner Leodis McKelvin snared a deep Cutler pass intended for Devin Hester.

Cutler nearly threw another interception on a third-down incompletion that ended the Bears’ next drive.

After Bills’ return man Dominic Rhodes muffed the ensuing punt, the Bears were back in business, at the Buffalo 43. This led to Cutler’s lone highlight, a 30-yard completion to tight end Desmond Clark. But the effort fizzled short of paydirt, and the Bears had to settle for a field goal.

While the T.O. subplot for this game has been removed thanks to Owens’ sprained big toe, the Bills have gotten some buzz out of their offense. Starting quarterback Trent Edwards completed all ten of his throws for 79 yards.

apart from your obvious disdain for Cutler, his performance tonight(not to mention the disparity in receiving talent) comes nowhere close to the disaster that Orton delivered last night.

footballisfun says:Aug 15, 2009 9:13 PM

I don’t know, there could be a subplot. Trent Edwards might be having secret meetings with the O Coordinator and Lee Evans. They could be plotting new ways to move the offense without including TO

ScreamingIdiot says:Aug 15, 2009 9:31 PM

Preseason…
But us Packer fans can hope I guess..

meezle says:Aug 15, 2009 9:32 PM

I think forte is gonna be a monster this season, I’m an eagles fan but I like this kid and olsen, they got 2 players on their hands

gameday says:Aug 15, 2009 9:55 PM

“Cutler unremarkable in Bears debut”
*************************************
No news there!
Cutler is a immature, crybaby punk.
Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal made Cutler appear better than he really is, and Da Bears do not have ANY receiver that has half the talent as those two.
Chicago fans will be VERY disappointed in their new “hero”.

RFM says:Aug 15, 2009 9:59 PM

Compared to Orton’s three INT performance with the Donks, Cutler looks like a Pro Bowler! Well, maybe a pro bowler.

DocBG says:Aug 15, 2009 10:07 PM

Only thing packer fans can hope for is that they lion continue to suck this year so GB isnt in last.
to be fair to the bears, they did not have olson and forte in, but does an above average TE and a middle of the pack HB make that big of a differance? please don’t mistake this as being overly hard on either of them, (hell, olson should seriously be considered for their #1 WR the way the rest of them suck) but those 2 guys would not have resulted in jayne cuntler moving the offense signifigantly (if at all) better.
be honest with yourselves bear fans, this was buffalo you where stalling against here. jayne needs to get some damn recievers and quit being a little girl before he’s going to anything worth a damn in chicago.

Rex Grossman says:Aug 15, 2009 10:07 PM

Why the hell do you PFT guys hate Culter so much? Thought it was just Florio, but I guess he’s got his new bitches drinkin’ da haterade already.

meezle says:Aug 15, 2009 10:11 PM

I think forte is gonna be a monster this season, I’m an eagles fan but I like this kid and olsen, they got 2 players on their hands

The Freakin' Deacon says:Aug 15, 2009 10:13 PM

@jaywon
Actually, per attempts it does come pretty close, especially considering the Bills missed an easy pick, and Cutler threw fewer attempts. Both were pretty miserable. But Broncos fans recognize it. I’m sure Bears fans will have excuses to last until week 17.

Beastie Bills says:Aug 15, 2009 10:22 PM

I’m a Cutler fan, but this game was UGLY. In the 4 drives that he engineered, he threw one INT, and had two more INT’s dropped. He also had a pass tipped in the endzone.

Insomniac says:Aug 15, 2009 10:35 PM

Maybe the WRs should volunteer their input on the QBs to keep on the 53-man roster. They need to be able to trust their QB.

mnmaverick says:Aug 15, 2009 10:42 PM

I think he’s learning the harsh reality that he had it pretty good in Denver with a great offensive line and receiving corps. The Bears are pretty limited in both areas. The Vikings and Packers are going to destroy them.
I know when Mike Tice was here, he was like Shanahan, a magician in creating effective offensive lines. That’s why it never mattered who the running back was, they always ran well.

OpinionsNAholes says:Aug 15, 2009 10:58 PM

So now we care what the editor’s kid thinks?

OpinionsNAholes says:Aug 15, 2009 11:00 PM

So now we care what the editor’s kid thinks?

mnmaverick says:Aug 15, 2009 11:30 PM

There is a big difference between giving an honest opinion and being a “Hater”.
Cutler sucked tonight, that’s an undisputed FACT.
Tarvaris Jackson sucks. That’s an undisputed fact.
Denial isn’t going to change the facts, folks.

Farves sweet Hair says:Aug 16, 2009 12:44 AM

This guys a Douche. The windy city will soon find out.

Farves sweet Hair says:Aug 16, 2009 12:47 AM

packers 17
browns 0🙂

Farves sweet Hair says:Aug 16, 2009 1:11 AM

TO ALL YOU BEARS FANS, CUTLER”S A DOUCHE BAG! LOVIE SHOULD BE FIRED AFTER THIS SEASON.

Howie Handles says:Aug 16, 2009 2:07 AM

No news there!
Cutler is a immature, crybaby punk.
Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal made Cutler appear better than he really is, and Da Bears do not have ANY receiver that has half the talent as those two.
Chicago fans will be VERY disappointed in their new “hero”.
******************
Eddie Royal was a special teamer until Cutler had Shannahan give him a shot at WR. We’ll see how those two do with Orton as their QB. WRs are made by QBs, not the other way around. Another example? Marques Colston…7th rounder, has done pretty well thanks to Mr. Brees.
Speaking of immature, how many times has Marshall been arrested/dealt with the law? I would say that’s pretty immature..I’m just saying……..

Howie Handles says:Aug 16, 2009 2:11 AM

I think he’s learning the harsh reality that he had it pretty good in Denver with a great offensive line and receiving corps. The Bears are pretty limited in both areas. The Vikings and Packers are going to destroy them.
I know when Mike Tice was here, he was like Shanahan, a magician in creating effective offensive lines. That’s why it never mattered who the running back was, they always ran well.
***********
Somehow I think they’ll be alright, considering it was the first preseason game. No Forte, no Olson, I’m not worried. The O-line is better than you think. Plus, he won’t have to throw the ball 50 times a game, you think that might just pad the WRs stats a bit? As even though Chicago’s D has dropped a bit since the SB, it is certainly a couple of steps above Denver’s D.
LOL, you mentioned Tice and Shanahan in the same sentance……LOL….I forgot again, what exactly did Tice do?

Jackal138 says:Aug 16, 2009 2:44 AM

A lot of starting QBs look rusty in the first preseason game. Donovan McNabb looked the same way – and so did Tom Brady (he looked far more consistent, but that moonball to Sheldon Brown looked more like Kyle Orton was behind it).
I think Cutler is a little overrated, but give him some time.

csloan99 says:Aug 16, 2009 4:30 AM

Funny, the best you Bears fans can come up with is, “well, he wasn’t AS bad as Orton was last night!” Even that point is debatable, but whatever makes you happy. I promise you, Cutler will drive you crazy. In my book, he’s physically the most talented QB. But there’s something off with him — he is overconfident in his arm and pure and simply, he is NOT a born winner. The guy hasn’t had a winning season since high school. Yeah, we can sit here and draw up excuses for the last 8 years, but the fact remains that despite having all the talent in the world, he will never be a winner — only mediocre.

TiceWasBetter says:Aug 16, 2009 8:31 AM

Well, who cares?
Sage Rosenfels went 10-13 for 91yds and put up ten points, does that mean he’s going to the pro bowl? No.
Cutler looked terrible aside from a 30yrd comp. does that mean he’ll be benched midway through the season. No.
Its only the first preseason game, pretty sure he’ll be fine. Of course if he had good receivers maybe he would’ve had more success. But that’ll all come with time, they got some young talent on that WR corp it’ll just take time. But, if he’s playing like in Nov. then yea, Lovie might be going bye-bye.
As a Viking fan I welcomed Cutler into the division because Chicago needed something to compete with against All-Day Adrian Peterson cause their defense didn’t do much to improve over the offseason and didn’t finish very well last season. Cutler however won’t have it as easy with the Vikings having a top 5 defense this year. It’ll probably be a three headed race into december with the Vikings Bears and Packers again.

toonster says:Aug 16, 2009 8:50 AM

As a Bears fan, I’m not too worried. It’s the first game in preseason – by game 3, I might be worried. Not now. It seemed clear he was trying to force a connection/rhythm with Devin Hester. He has that rhythm with Earl Bennett, but he knows that, for the offense to click, he needs Hester as a downfield threat. I also do agree with Cutler and Turner – Hester needs to adjust and play DB on that interception.
_________________
As for people referencing his past, I’ll repeat some things I’ve said all year.
A) I don’t excuse his behavior in leaving Denver, but the national media has largely given McDaniels/Broncos a slap on the wrist compared to how they’ve crucified Cutler. It seems fairly clear that Bowlen made some promises to appease Cutler when Shanny was fired. Okay, so he backtracks, lets Bates goes. By all indication, Cutler was getting a rhythm with McDaniels. I don’t think we need to rehash McDaniels strange behavior during this episode, and this is coming from a guy who was a big believer in McDaniels.
B) As for his past W-L record, certainly, he shoulders some responsibility. But speaking directly on last year, it’s not easy for any QB to go into any game knowing he need to chuck the ball relentlessly because his defense couldn’t do squat and his RB’s were dropping like flies. Furthermore, watch some Broncos games from the Cutler era. Everyone says he benefitted from Marshall/Royal – I think those two benefitted moreso from him. There were plenty of times where it looked like Cutler bailed out the receivers because his ball hit them in the tiniest of holes.
C) Are we really going to call out his Vandy days? A great QB still needs a good supporting cast to make a difference. Those Vandy teams had some talent, but compared to the rest of the SEC, it wasn’t close. The only reason they managed to get competitive was because of Cutler.
___________________________
There’s probably a few more comments, but that’s the gist of it. He’s not perfect, and no Bears fan I know is expecting that, but he is an improvement. I love his field vision (it certainly didn’t show last night, but again, 1st preseason game for a new team), and his ability to attack the different planes of the field. Is he too cocky? Sure, but let’s see how he does with a strong running game. People seem to forget that, while the Bears long range OL future is a bit iffy, right now, they have a very deep OL and a very solid starting 5. I look for Olsen to be used in a Marshall-esque way on the boundary more, along with attacking the seams. As noted, the key will be if Hester and Co. can offer legitimate deep threats. If they can threaten a team, that will open things up completely for the offense if they can pound the run and force teams to worry about the deep ball. That opens it up for their RB’s in the flat, and both Forte/Jones are good enough receivers. That opens it up for Clark/Olsen across the seams, Bennett/Iglesias/Rideau (if he makes it) to work the middle of the field.
I think Cutler is a solid top 10, and perhaps top 8 QB in the league right now, but he can’t do it alone, and no Bears fan should expect that. We saw what happened when an organization asked Cutler to do everything. Few QB’s in the league can win when the support around them is weak. I’m not too concerned about one preseason game.

Sourdough says:Aug 16, 2009 9:49 AM

Be careful what you wish for Bears fans.
Cutler is not all he talks himself up to be.
I predict a long, cold winter in Chicago.
Cutler stinks!

TiceWasBetter says:Aug 16, 2009 9:59 AM

Well, who cares?
Sage Rosenfels went 10-13 for 91yds and put up ten points, does that mean he’s going to the pro bowl? No.
Cutler looked terrible aside from a 30yrd comp. does that mean he’ll be benched midway through the season. No.
Its only the first preseason game, pretty sure he’ll be fine. Of course if he had good receivers maybe he would’ve had more success. But that’ll all come with time, they got some young talent on that WR corp it’ll just take time. But, if he’s playing like in Nov. then yea, Lovie might be going bye-bye.
As a Viking fan I welcomed Cutler into the division because Chicago needed something to compete with against All-Day Adrian Peterson cause their defense didn’t do much to improve over the offseason and didn’t finish very well last season. Cutler however won’t have it as easy with the Vikings having a top 5 defense this year. It’ll probably be a three headed race into december with the Vikings Bears and Packers again.

muchmaligned says:Aug 16, 2009 10:15 AM

“Unremarkable” and yet, you wrote an article about it? Beginning to hate PFT.

BigBear says:Aug 16, 2009 10:27 AM

“Matt Forte & Greg Olsen sat out tonight, no worries from this Bears fan”
The top two receivers from last year. Its still preseason so its just nice to see brand name qb in a Bears uniform. He stinks it up i regular season then I will be worried.